Choosing what to wear to the interview is a big part of getting ready for a job interview. Appearance is a factor considered even before one gets recruited. Will my chances of getting recruited be affected by what I wear to the interview? The area of expertise and the hiring organization’s culture undoubtedly influence what one should wear. What one wears to a job interview counts from the beginning since they have a certain image or manner of carrying oneself, but things have changed significantly over the last several decades. Historically, interviews were attended in formal wear, but more recently this is not necessarily the case as they are attended according to the industry and culture of organisations.
Once past the interview, some organisations expect their employees to dress formally, and others prioritise quality of work over appearance. Dressing smart or more formally provides a professional image which in turn creates a healthy sense of trust or credibility with clients. It also helps employees with their self-discipline and focus as it somehow helps boosts respect for their time and tasks with a level of adequate seriousness required. Employees working in the field of finance, banking, law, and government offices etc. dress more formally as expected of their hiring bodies. This way of dressing also lends itself to uniformity which creates a greater sense of belonging and promotes a healthy team spirit amongst employees, such as is seen by airline staff on board sports teams or shop tellers at Pink ‘n Pay super markets.
Other organisations may debate that appearance is not as important as the quality of work. Their focus is mostly on the results yielded by employees. Drawing employees’ attention to their work more than their appearance, allows for more flexibility and practicality. Industries that don’t have formal wear expectations on their employess include, tech and software development organisations, creatives like art, design, muli-media artists, mechanics etc.
In my opinion, if we pay close attention to the non-administrative roles of healthcare providers, their attires are not as significant as their expertise of saving lives; often wearing scrubs and/or lab coats as protective wear. As a clinical laboratory scientist, I am grateful that my former organisation did not expect me to dress smart when I was on the bench testing specimens. When I got promoted to more laboratory administrative roles, the scrubs and lab coats were replaced by more formal wear as my scope of work had changed, so even in the same field – what one wears may change all depending on tasks and expectations.
I concur with both types of organisations given my own experience in my field.